Method of forming hinges.



G. E. TOMS & T. P. BLAIR.

METHOD OF FORMING HINGES.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 26, 1911.

1,035,661. Patented Aug. 13,1912.

' figs.

COLUMBIA WWII C0" WASHINGTON. I37 0.

v UNITED sfrarnsrarmir onrron- GEORGE E. TOMS AND THOMAS P. BLAIR, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF FOB-MING HINGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 13, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. Tons and TrroMAs P. BLAIR, of San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented an Improved Method of Forming Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of forming hinges for use in connection with doors and gates, and wherein the cooperating hinge knuckles are provided with integral lifting cams which raise the door or gate when the same is opened, and which, when the door or gate is closed, permit the same to rest upon the sill or floor, the invention more particularly having reference to the shaping of the hinge butts from sheet metal stampings.

In the present and prior methods of forming the hinges of the character specified, attempts have been made to form the knuckles with shaping dies, each buttshaped separately, and also shaping the butts together, each method resulting in distortion of the lifting cams, causing the hinge parts to be imperfect. In the case of forming the hinge butts together from heavy material which requires several operations to make the complete bend for the knuckles, the butts would fall apart after the first operation, causing such delay while re-arranging the same, as to make the hinge expensive to manufacture. To overcome these objections we have provided a key which is to be stamped from the same material as the hinge butts, and which, when inserted in the space between the knuckle parts, holds the butts firmly together, the same being thereby as a solid piece of metal for handling during operations required for forming the hinge.

Of the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view of a hinge of the type having integral lifting cams on the knuckles thereof, and which may be readily formed from sheet metal by the method herein specified, the View showing the hinge standing in open position, Fig. 2 is a side view of the hinge in the closed position, Fig. 3 is a side view of the hinge butt-s after being formed in the closed position and With the keys holding the parts together, Fig. 4 is an end view of the hinge butts shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the hinge butt blanks, locked together with the keys, prior to the bending operations, F (3 and 7 are detail views of the hinge butt blanks, and Fig. 8 is a detail view of the key which looks the blanks firmly together whereby the hinge may be formed as expeditiously as a single piece of sheet metal.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, members A and B, are companion parts of a lifting hinge, and C, the pintlc uniting them. A key member D, is employed to hold members A and B firmly together during the operations of bending and forming the knuckles thereon. It will be readily seen that by our method of inserting a key of the same thickness as the material from which the two halves of the hinge are formed, we are able to hold, handle, and bend the same simultaneously and as readily as we would a single piece of metal. The cam members on the hinge knuckles are formed perfectly without distortion. After the several operations of bending have been completed, the keys may be knocked out, leaving the two parts perfectly formed for uniting with a pintle.

To perform the operation of forming the knuckles on the hinge butts, the companion parts of a hinge are placed together while in the blank form, the lifting cams being in the position which they assume in the closed position of the completed hinge. This leaves a space between the corresponding knuckle portions. In this position the looking key we have provided may be inserted in the space between the knuckle portions. It

is to be understood that the key fits tightly and causes the parts of the hinge to be firmly united, and thereby efficient for forming into the desired shape, the essence of our invention consisting in the use and employment of the key as herein specified, and our method of holding the companion hinge blanks firmly together whereby they may be simultaneously and as readily formed into a hinge.

It will be seen that by the use of the foregoing method of forming hinges from sheet metal stampings, the cost of manufacture is greatly reduced, as it is made possible to form the parts from sheet metal stampings, also to form the companion parts of the hinge together, and to save much time in no handling during the operation of forming the hinge.

We claim as our invention:

A method of forming hinges comprising the placing together of stamped sheet metal companion hinge members With the knuckle parts interlocking as in the closed position of the completed hinge, inserting one or more keys between said companion members binding the same firmly together for the purposes of shaping and bending, the bending of the knuckle parts, the final removal of said locking keys, and the inserting of a pintle to hold the parts in position, substantially as set forth.-

Witness our hands to the foregoing specification this 19th day of December, nineteen hundred and eleven.

GEORGE E; TOMS. THOMAS P. BLAIR.

Witnesses:

J. W. MASTER, F. M. KEENEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D'.- C. 

